THE HISTORY OF VETERANS DAY
OVERVIEW OF VETERANS DAY
Veterans Day, formerly Armistice Day, is the anniversary of the ending of World War I. In the United States it is celebrated as a federal holiday on November 11. Veterans Day has been observed annually on this date since 1978, except for a brief period when it was celebrated on the fourth Monday of October.
HISTORY OF VETERANS DAY
Following World War II, the name of the holiday was changed (enacted June 1, 1954) to Veterans Day to honor those who died in all American wars. The day has since evolved to primarily be a time of honoring living veterans who have served in the military during wartime or peacetime, partially due to competition with Memorial Day, which primarily honors the dead.
Many nations within the British Commonwealth observe a similar occasion on November 11, Remembrance Day.
VETERANS DAY TRIVIA
24.9 million
The number of military veterans in the United States.
1.7 million
The number of veterans who are women.
9.7 million
The number of veterans who are age 65 or over.
2.4 million
The number of black veterans. Additionally, 1.1 million veterans are Hispanic; 272,000 are Asian; 159,000 are American Indian or Alaska native; and 30,000 are native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander. (The numbers for blacks, Asians, American Indians and Alaska natives and native Hawaiians and other Pacific islanders cover only those reporting a single race.)
8.2 million
Number of Vietnam-era veterans. Vietnam veterans account for more than 3-in-10 veterans, the largest share of any period of service. The next largest share of wartime veterans, 4.4 million or nearly 2-in-10, served during World War II. (
16%
Percentage of Persian Gulf War veterans who are women. In contrast, women account for 5 percent of World War II vets, 3 percent of Vietnam vets and 2 percent of Korean War vets.
381,000
Number of veterans who served during both the Vietnam era and the Desert Storm era (August 1990 or later).
* In addition, 429,000 veterans served during both the Korean War and the Vietnam conflict.
* 143,000 served during three periods: World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam conflict.
* 498,000 served in World War II and the Korean War.
6
Number of states with 1 million or more veterans. These states are California (2.3 million), Florida (1.8 million), Texas (1.7 million), New York (1.2 million), Pennsylvania (1.2 million) and Ohio (1.1 million).
$20.8 billion
Aggregate amount of money received annually by the 2.5 million veterans receiving compensation for service-connected disabilities.
$56.9 billion
Total amount of federal government spending for veterans benefits programs in fiscal year 2003.
